ON LAND TENURES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 689, 14 December 1909, Page 8

ON LAND TENURES.

AN ANIMATED DEBATE. THE FREEHOLDERS WIN. IDy TDloErapb.-Stjßclal Oorrcirmndont.l ' . '. Christchurch, December 13.' ■ A fow of tho sottlers on the Cheviot estate—. tho first estate in Now Zealand, settled under tho Government leasehold system—determined soino timo ago to call a meeting at which Crown tenants would be given an opportunity to express thoir'views on• the freehold question. Tho meeting was held in the - M'lvenzio Town Hall on Saturday. There wore probably sixty Crown tenants present, and th 6 township wos represented by an equal number of- people who wore not Crown tenants. Shearing .is in full swing at the settlement just now, or otherwise there would probably have-been a , much larger gathering. Each side was represented in tho audience, tho majority of the town's. people throwing their support into'the leasehold camp. The freehold party was' led by Sir. Thos. Gee, and the leasehold party by Messrs. Haugh'ey and Gibson. ! Mr. Gee said that,resolutions condemning tho granting of the freehold had been poured into the Government by Socialistic and Radical organisations in the cities, and it.was about time that the Crown tenants- made their voices heard. The resolution which he wished to. more was as follows:—"That this meeting of Crown tenants believe the optional system of land tenure to be the best in the interests of land settlement in tho Dominion, and- desire to obtain the fee simple of their holdings on equitable terms." Personally, he continued, he did not think that the freehold proposals of tho Govornment were of much value as far as terras went, but still it was the thin end oT, the wedge: The Crown tenants would mako their voices. heard: in the future, and get something that would bo'satisfactory.to them. According to the Hon. J. A. Millar; there were ; from 27,000 .to 28,000 Crown tenants in the ; Dominion,: and if they wore organised their collective opinion, would carry some weight. The Government were anxious to'giro the freehold, and; tho meeting should support them. Some jpoople; charged the Crown tenants with ingratitude in their demands for the freehold, saying that they wanted .to kick away tho ladder by which-they had climbed. They did not wish to get rid of the ladder, but,rather to allow others to.climb-in the'.same'way. 'It had been.said that the leasehold was as. good as the.freehold.-; .'Well, what happened.during the . recent financial; stringency ? .. '' A •: tenant could take- his leasehold to any private,.firm, ! and try to raise .money. 6n;it,.but.he was told , that it was worth nothing, ; and at'the very moment that tho .private money-lender refused 'to.lend dn leases; the advances: to settlers went "bung."; It was almost ..impossible.-.to-day.'to sell' leaseholds unless they, could find; a man .ready to put down, the cash. The radical. people in' the, .House 'and ,citiee .told them that they had:no Tight to the goodwill, but the unearned increment, belonged to ..tho people ' who did tho rough and. hard jiorieerins work of the 1 settlements. Even on Cheviot ■ for ,tho first three or four years no one made a copjjer. . When they begali ' to get ■ ahead of it,. during the, past few years, .they wero fold that tho goodwill did not belong to them. Kadical organisations in the cities condemned the granting of the 999 years' leases as an immoral -act,and called upon the Government to break them. This w.as disquieting,. and gave, the tenants, a feeling of insecurity,, as' the Government probably could do anything it pleased, in regard.to the leases. Some of; the most persistent leasehold members of the House wfcre-freeholders outside. Even the .Trades and Labour Council erected, their, trades. hall on' a .freehold," andyet .were strong opponents of the freehold for Crown tenants. If land settlement'was to ad-' vane'e, the only .method, by which .it could do so wae by giving the right to the freehold, and using the money received by the sale of land "to purchase "more land. for., settlement; .They did .Hot want to do'away.with the leasehold,. but they recognised that, while it was a splendid start, it was not'a.finish. ." .''./.'!'. ■ .-. '■ "■■■ Mr. S. Haughey'defended, the leasehold. He said that he did not see that ,th'e, freeholders had much to complain about as the law now gave them'the right to buy up to 90 per cent. Tho chairman: Under; the renewable lease weare under a different system at Cheviot. ... ,Mr. 3\ S.. Gibson said that the holders,of the ■ lease 'iii-perpetuity could' pay up to |90, per'cbnt. ■'.'•■ : :i "•■',-■■ : '•''"." ;'"'•, . A voice: That does not make the' title; (Applause.) :■"..'■'. . ■'■■■■ ■' ■■' '•■■'■'. '..".'" ' v \. ' Mr.. Haughey ■ said that the Cheviot settlers 'shpuld-bp't the ; last' party'-' in New■ Zealand to kick against'; ; Kie , .'leaseh6ld. '■' He did - not suppose that there would, have been 5 percent of tWprospefcbus"seltlerKl>Tpsent ! ai-the 'meeting had; it riot. , been-for the" leasehold. ■■ The" ■Governnient had made a mistake in: interterfering with tho Lands'.for .SettlementVAct.They should' have let it develop for "twenty years. ;.Very few: people'understood'what/the ' Government were proposing. ■■ : -. ; . -,' •. A'-voice:.'Do'they,' understand' it themselves? Mr. Haughoy. I don't think they do. He asked.how the poor man was ; 'to get on the laud if ho. hadn t the money to buy it,-v and" ho predicted that the result would be to. bring, the poor agriculturist .down ■-, to the. position of the white-slaves of Britain and Ireland.-,-'■■ Mr. J. S. Gibson, member of the Canterbury Land. Board, also supported 'tho; leasehold;.- Ho said that, \as. far .as the lease in. perpetuity was -concerned, -it! did not matter very much. If tho freehold' were granted how many:'settlers on Cheviot were in a position to acqniro tlie-freehold of: their; holdings? 'He believed that thore: were very few indeed, and thai the same might be said of-other'settlements.; .; ,In replying, Mr. Gee said'that he believed with Sir Joseph Wardi that nine-tenths ol -tho Crown tenants.were.iu favour of the freehold. Did' Mr. Gibson speak; of-the success of the leasehold when he' eaid' that -there were iew. of them; after, seventeen jears in a posi-, tion to buy the freehold?, What chance had. a' poor man to-day to get on the land" under iho -leasehold when he had to find three years' rent?,'- ' ..: '■.-,. ~' ; ■■'•'•. ; ■ ■'. ;. ■-~. ■' The motion was then carried by 82 to , 19. ;•> !;' : (Br Telegraph—Press Association.) ' ' .: ' ' Christchurch, December 13. . The Trades and Labour Council has issued a manifesto protesting against tho Government's land proposals. A meeting of .Christ-' church South ' and Christchurch liast-. electors unanimously carried a resolution: "That this meoting believes tho freehold tenure to bo the most pernicious form of land tenure, and most emphatically protests against the proposals to grant the freehold of their sections to Crown tenants, ;and • against the' 6ale of-, any . nipfo Ciwyn lands -of tho Dominion.", The meeting Bubsequeutly formed a branch of tho New Zealand labour-party. ':-.-. .... • : .-. ; - :■